The Veiled Triumph of Pessimism [Erchanhardt, Yugiri]

"Ah, rest assured, Yugiri, I do not disagree with you in the slightest."

Her relaxed nature was something Erchanhardt, admittedly, found rather pleasant to see. Not in the sense that one might assume, but rather it simply made him happy to see her so carefree. There was a great deal that could feasibly weight upon her, and he suspected that much of it was still present in her heart. But to take it in stride was progress, and he could not exactly begrudge her for not letting the past go, now could he?

"It is a curious question, isn't it? How many people truly wish to engage with governance... I think the answer to that is unfortunately not so simple. I think there are times in which the people wish for more control, perhaps even times when they deserve more, and there are other times when the vast majority would prefer some benevolent dictator take care of their woes."

Looking at his own hand idly for a moment, Erchanhardt then once more turned his attention to his younger companion.

"However, I believe that all people within their hearts desire control over their own future. Such is, I think, irrefutable truth, one I have built much of my life around. If the future they desire is one in which they need not concern themselves with the difficulties of government, is that not still influencing the world in its own way?"

Ah, such hypotheticals may have seemed pointless to many, but they were the foundation of philosophical discource in nearly all cases. And, besides, he found few could dissect his hypotheticals quite as Yugiri could.

"No two people can ever agree on everything. In an ideal world, perhaps nations would be delineated entirely by philosophy rather than by the location of one's birth. But, I think, the decentralization of power is key for this as well. Not only for the sake of preventing tyranny, but to provide opportunity for difference of opinion within one's own homeland. Otherwise, it does not feel much like a home at all, does it?"

"Yeah but you don't need to engage in politics to take hold of your life. Chidori didn't do anything and she did just fine, it's not like status in life ever deprives you of your ability to make choices."

It didn't mean there weren't consequences to those actions of course but the dynamic was different for her life compared to what was probably his life. A man like him actually lived in an era where most people were equal in terms of raw individual power, for Yugiri she never knew anything other than that idea.

She could stand up to someone stronger than her, but have to accept the consequences of an inherent unfairness to it. Government only worked in this field as long as all the powerhouses accepted the same rules. Even so, for Yugiri one's level of power had no impact on the ability to make a choice unless someone directly tried to interfere with that.

"Yeah, it is. So people don't need to have a say if they don't want to. Because that's their decision."

Her head cocked to the side while contemplating the last part. Decentralised. That did allow more voice into matters but it created the issue of disagreement.

If there were two groups and each took turns, but have incompatible philosophies then your government would simply go back and forth. Ripping down the opposing side's work then trying to impliment an infantile form of their own and then losing to their political enemies who repeated the process. The greater masses will never see the completed view unless their terms of power were substantial in length.

"Sounds like a cruel cycle. At what point does a person's desire to influence their own life become wanting to influence everyone else's lives? That's kind of tyranny but if you think about it, most people with political power aren't just deciding their own future but that of other's. There'll always be unsatisfied people iamong the ones happy to be lead or who are neutral on the whole matter."

"Doesn't it? Truth be told, I should think that one's station in life is the most fundamental cornerstone of one's ability to control their destiny. Those above will not know the full consequences of their actions, and those below can never change the world around them for fear they will be punished."

The conclusion that Yugiri came to was one which drew a quiet, humorless laugh from Erchanhardt. She was correct, of course. It was all so very cruel.

"And so we come to the center of the issue. To what degree can one control their own life without violating the rights of others? Is such a thing even possible, given the very nature of the world? I think, much as it pains us, it is necessary in life to accept that there will always, on some level, be a collective good that we must work toward. This does not mean we must deny the individual good, for a collective is but made of those individuals. But prioritizing only one's own happiness inevitably creates strife. Not just for others, but for oneself."

Another shrug accompanied his final point. He knew, however tragic it may have been, that it was asking the impossible for all mankind to see such a thing.

"Perhaps this is but one more aspect of the human condition. Our lives, by their very nature, can never see peace. The question then becomes what one does with this knowledge. Do they seek asceticism, away from the struggles of the world? Or do they seek to create that peace regardless?"